Julius van den Berg looks forward to a new adventure with Team dsm-firmenich: "I'm excited to meet new people, as I'll also re-unite with some familiar faces"

Julius van den Berg talks for the first time about his transfer to Team dsm-firmenich, which was already announced by WielerFlits at the end of October. The 27-year-old rider leaves EF Education-EasyPost after 5.5 years with the American formation.

"Team dsm-firmenich are a well-structured team, and I'm excited about the new environment and new people I'll be working with, and I'll also be re-united with some familiar faces," says Van den Berg, referring, among other things, to his best friend Fabio Jakobsen. They rode together in the youth categories for a long time.

"As a cyclist, I enjoy winning – either if that's by myself crossing the line first or by helping the team to triumph through collaboration," he explains. "I can help the younger guys with my own experience in positioning, while I also don't mind pulling on the front and ensuring the guys arrive at the final as fresh as possible so we can compete for top results. I also like to try and keep the group tight knit, so I also aim to bring some encouragement and enjoyment off the bike."

Julius van den Berg is no stranger to coach Rudi Kemna of Team dsm-firmenich. "Julius is a really strong rider who knows what he wants and expects from not only himself, but those around him. He has a strong engine and will add a lot of horsepower to our team," said Kemna. "He will play an important role in support of our finishers and is someone who can help to control the race and create race scenarios that will be in our favour."